Nicolas Cage Cancels Attendance at Montreal’s Fantasia Due to SAG-AFTRA Strike

Nicolas Cage has cancelled attendance at Montreals Fantasia Film Festival, North Americas biggest genre festival, where he was expected next weekend on July 22 for the world premiere of director Yuval Adlers Sympathy for the Devil, where he was due to pick up Fantasias Cheval Noir career achievement award.

Were sad to announce that due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Nicolas Cage will no longer be able to attend the festival next weekend, Fantasia has announced on its website.

Well be updating our website regularly as we receive news from other announced guests while circumstances evolve. Our hearts are with the actors, as well as with the WGA, and we hope to see the unions get a fair deal soon, the Festival added.

Following Thursdays confirmation of the SAG strike, Judy Greer, star of Aporia, one of Fantasias other high profile premieres, did not appear to be available for interview byVariety. Greer is not on Fantasias guest list. In Aporia, she stars as a woman drowning in grief from the death of her husband in a drink-driving accident. Aporia is scheduled to world premiere at Fantasia on July 27.

The vast majority of actors on Fantasias guest list are Canadian.One question is whether foreign or non-SAG-AFTRA members will pull out from attending Fantasia out of support for SAG-AFTRA.

Fantasia is not, however, heavily star dependent. Cages cancellation will be a large disappointment for fandom at the Festival. But its no kind of knock out blow.

Most stars at Fantasia are its genre auteurs, such as this year cult Canadian collective RKSS which closes the festival with We Are Zombies, starring Megan Peta Hill, Alexandre Nachi and Derek Johns.

Fantasia Film Festival runs July 20 to Aug. 9. A large Frontires industry forum, packed out by the presentation of projects led by their directors and producers with little cast attached unspools July 26-29.